I have a duo 2 chip. I have been playing on LIVE for a couple of days. I start up xbox with chip off. I tried to connect this morning and xbox live has detected a modification to software or hardware error. Mabey one of my buddies tried hooking up with chip on. Not sure. How can I fix this?

If you are banned from Xbox Live, you will need an unbanned EEPROM since MS bans your EEPROM if you access Xbox Live with your modchip on. Getting a new, unbanned Xbox can be achieved by getting it from a friend's Xbox, or seeing if a website is selling them.

EEPROM is a chip on your Xbox's motherboard. EvolutionX creates a file, EEPROM.BIN, which contains the readings of the EEPROM.

If you replace your Xbox HD with a different HD, the EEPROM does not change, because it is a chip on the XBox's motherboard.

Configmagic Final is a Xbox application that runs on your Xbox.

GETTING THE EEPROM FILE FROM THE UNBANNED XBOX
1. In EvolutionX, do the "Backup" command in the Utilities menu. It will generate files about your Xbox specs.
2. FTP in your Xbox, or use a file manager tool, and in C:\\Backup, you will find a file called EEPROM.BIN
3. FTP that to your PC HD or remember its location for future reference.

SETTING UP THE FILE FOR CONFIGMAGIC FINAL FOR THE BANNED XBOX
1. Once you have Configmagic Final loaded onto your HD or on your PC, there will be a directory in it called DATA.
2. Move the EEPROM.BIN file, that EvolutionX generated, into that DATA directory, overwriting the EEPROM.BIN file that is already there.
3. If you are making a Configmagic Final CD, you can now make the ISO of it and burn it. Xbox HD users, don't worry.

RUNNING CONFIGMAGIC FINAL
1. Load up Configmagic Final.
2. A warning screen will be shown, press "A" to bypass it.
3. When Configmagic Final finally loads, it will show your current EEPROM on your Xbox. Make a note of the DVD KIT ZONE and VIDEO AND XBE REGION information.

4. Select "LOAD XBOX EEPROM" in the menu.
5. Select "UNLOCK HD" in the menu.
6. Load the EEPROM.BIN file in the DATA directory by choosing "LOAD EEPROM FROM .BIN FILE"
7. If you see that the VIDEO AND XBE REGION information is different, you MUST change it. Go into the menu and choose "ON-THE-FLY EDIT EEPROM". Change the VIDEO AND XBE REGION number to the proper information of your former EEPROM.
8. Now, select "UPDATE XBOX EEPROM" in the menu.
9. Your Xbox's EEPROM will now be updated with the file in the DATA directory.
10. In the menu, select "LOAD XBOX EEPROM". You will notice your EEPROM is now different! Success
11. Select "LOCK HD" from the menu.
12. Select "EXIT CONFIGMAGIC" in the menu.

IMPORTANT TIPS
- If you were using the XBOX DVD KIT to play DVDs, and the Xbox gives an error about region, load up Configmagic and change the DVD KIT ZONE number to the number of your previous EEPROM. UNLOCK the HD, choose "ON-THE-FLY EDIT EEPROM" in the menu and simply change the DVD KIT ZONE number. Then, UPDATE XBOX EEPROM and LOCK HD. Exit Configmagic.
- You can view any Xbox EEPROM using your PC by getting Liveinfo PC program. It will show all the details of an EEPROM.BIN file. You might find it easier to edit any possible changes to your DVD KIT ZONE or VIDEO AND XBE REGION using the program, rather ON-THE-FLY EDIT EEPROM in Configmagic.
- Sometimes, with a PAL EEPROM, your Xbox's time might be wrong or video settings will be different. Go into the MS dash and change the settings to the way you seem fit
- Always be sure to use the most current version of Configmagic. The current version is:

tHANKYOU VERY MUCH!! i WAS HOPING THERE WOULD BE AN EASIER SOLUTION. I have also heard of people trying to call MS and tell them there is a problem and they can send you a disk to unban your machine. True????

>> Angerwound sent us new information about the new Xbox LIVE banning system.
Apparently Microsoft is now only banning the HDD-Key and not the Serial Number/Mac Address of the EEprom as before. This means that you do not need a whole new EEprom to get unbanned, but only a valid and non-banned HDD-Key.

So if your Xbox got banned you can unban it by unlocking your HD, change the HDD-Key in your EEprom (using configmagic or other EEprom tools) with a unbanned one from another EEprom (you can't just use a random key - it must be a valid one from a retail box), then just relock your HD and your Xbox will be unbanned. Even using an old banned EEprom and change it with an unbanned HDD-Key, will allow you to connect on LIVE. This has been tested for over a week and the xbox is still not banned. The box in question has been banned several times before as well as had it's live account terminated. Angerwound even tested it by putting random information on all other paramaters except the HDD-Key and it connected fine on LIVE.

This could have a great deal to do with why people are randomly getting banned now.
They had previously been using a valid serial number/Mac address but now the authentication servers do not want to validate their HDD Key.

The above information tells you how to get unbanned, but if you don't change anything to your setup it's likely you'll get banned again of course. At this moment we don't know yet what MS is all checking to ban an Xbox...
However, they are probably checking several things on the HD. So best thing you can do is to use your MS retail and untouched (no homebrew/hacked files) HD (don't forget to also unlock with old key/relock it with the new key) only to connect on LIVE.